New bladder pressure sensor may replace catheter

A new tiny bladder pressure sensor developed by Norwegian engineers may provide the much needed relief to those suffering from neurological disease that makes them unable to control their bladder. The problem often caused by injuries to the spine results into loss of sense of pressure when the bladder is full of urine. This leads to building up of internal pressure which may end up damaging the bladder as well as the kidneys. The problem is so widespread that in Norway, about 200,000+ people suffer from this disorder and about 3000 of them are badly affected. SINTEF (Norwegian: Stiftelsen for industriell og teknisk forskning; translates to The Foundation For Scientific and Industrial Research) was working on this problem for several years and have finally been able to develop a pressure sensor that might help the patients.

The current method involves the use of a catheter to make the relevant bladder pressure measurements. Catheter is inserted inside the urethra so that the bladder can be filled up with water. The process however is very uncomfortable to the patient and the since the bladder gets filled with saline at a faster rate than normal; it's not very reliable.


SINTEF researchers worked with Sunnaas Hospital to develop a miniature pressure sensor for the bladder to tackle this problem. The sensor can be inserted into patient's body through a thin needle without causing any discomfort to the patient. One more advantage is that the patient can perform natural movements which are otherwise restricted by the catheter. At present the sensor is connected to control systems using thin wires; but the next logical step would be to make them wireless so that measurements can be taken at regular intervals; even through a smartphone.

The first trial will be performed next month on three patients and in the longer term; the new sensors will be tested on about 30 patients at the Sunnaas Hospital in Norway. For more information, check out the source link below.

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